Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-05-23

GauS y uIluu1ADUc VI pClIOIuSLOus ltuO-
rock. II clay bed was forming, the re-
suit was oil shsle, and as these beds are
well adapted to the preservation of
FOSSIL ORGANIC FORMS,
men are deluded into the belief that Or
ganic matter supplied the oil or gas, as
the case may be-"
GLOW may this be proved conClu-
sively?"
"There is an infallible method of show
| ing whether q rock is permeated or part
| ly composed of carbon sediment, or
whether the oil is driven up from lower
bed into it, If you subject the natural
| bituminous rock, as bituminous lime
stone to the action of fire, the OIL car
bon burns out and the rock crumb ,es to
dust. But if you force petroleum to a
rock, as has been done by great pre- IRE,
and then burn it, the oil will BUN out
and leave the rock as solid as before. 1t
must be borne in mind that those carbon
precipitstions were directed by number
less
MODIFYING CAUSES,
Just as in the formation of beds from
other sediment, as that of sand and clay.
bed of clay may be found planted with
sand beds, or bed of fine sand sur
rounded with beds of coarse. So ocean
or sea currents laid carbon beds in
spots, in lines or channels, in broad ex-
panses, in beds almost pure and beds
almost barren. Other beds received none,
where the drill will forever search in
vain. AS the Trenton limebed has af-
forded an abundance of discussion and
speculation in recent years, and as there
is much in connection with this rock
which the old theory does not attempt to
explain, shall we bring the light of the
new to bear upon it?'
"By all means, Professor"
"When this series was being deposited
the waters of the Gulf of Mexico were
an ocean covering nearly all the United
States, and washing the foothills Of the
Canadian Highlands. Now as the geolo-
gist looks over the present physical con-
tour of the country, and recognizes its
GEOLOGICAL STRATIGRAPHY,
ee cannot fail to be impressed with the
belief that the eastern and southern parts
of this great ocean were the deepest, and
that floating carbon could not settle so
deeply as to lodge upon its floor. Any
part, then, of the Trenton line that was
forming in the abyssal depths is neCesSs-
Tily barren of oil or gas. A great many
barren wells show that this is the case,
and | believe that biologists generally are
of the opinion that q well bored in the
Trenton rock, in order to be productive,
must not be very far Iess than 900 feet)
below the sea level. But can the organic
theory tell US why this is the case ?"
at has not done so, at least"
"Is the ge0logist prepared to say that
the Trenton lime beds of the deep sea are
not an organic formation? Are there no
fossils in the beds below the deep-seated
freestOne, and why were not the oil and
gas forced from these beds into the lat
ter? Thus, again, tine organic origin of
oil and Gas
LEADS TO AN INCONSISTENCY.
There is no scientific or even plausible
reason why the same fossiliferous beds
in Eastern Ohio should not saturate the
Trenton with the oil that fills it in West
ern and Northwestern Ohio, if we pro-
coed by the organic theory. The organic
theory thus forces its adherents 80 aban-
don it, so far as the deep Trenton is con-
cerned. And we are forced to admit that
oil and gas are neither forced from fossil
beds into higher reservoirs, nor placed
there by distillation."
"Tell me of the ancient ocean bed and
its connection with oil and gas"
off we critically examine this ancient
ocean bed we are plainly led to the con-
clusiOD that d great polar current ran
along the coast lof Labrador, along the
present Canadian border through the St.
Lawrence depression and over the region
of the great lakes toward Indiana and
Illinois. The eminent biologists have
frequently alluded TO this current.
ANY ANNTIAR CARBON
carried by this current would be depos-
ited-where? Such g current would
deposit much carbon on its southern
border, wherever there were elevations in
the sea floor, and we see its presence
revealed by the drill along line IN New
York. We also see some on its northern
border, as revealed by oil and gas wells
in portions OF Canada. We should not
expect to find eny in immediate channels,
and we do not find it there. But, now,
when we come to examine
THE GREAT CINCINNATI UPLIFT
we are led to believe that IS what is
now en- anticlinsl was an antiCllnaI at
that age and then this great polar current
abutted against and swept over it.Striking
this on its extreme eastern slope, the
rapidity of the current would not allow d
deposit of carbon there, except along its
borders as before, but being checked In
its course as it mounted the ridge or
plateau, it would certainly cover this
elevated plain with mixed load
of the lighter and heavier carbon,
and carry the great mass over the
ridge and lodge it Immediately on
its western slope. Now these great
stores of carbon are well known as in
Hancock, Allen and adjacent counties.
North of Hancock county, and between
these and the lake, is q general depression
OF the Trenton, and through this gap the
currsnt must have rushed with great rap
idity right onward over Western Ohio,
Indiana and Illinois. In this depression
wells would generally fail to pro luce oil
or gas, though eddYing currents might
store limited supplies in the western
slopes or elevations in theicurrent's path.
Moving on toward the west the current
would meet the deep ocean again and en-
counter the gulf current
MOVING UP THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY.
Then, in measure, 1t would be thrown
back upon itself in returning eddy over
the great level plains of Indiana and Hi
uois, and here, IL seems to me, must be
found one of the most prolific hydro
bon fields of the earth"
Chow about the Eastern Ohio and
Western Pennsylvania fields?"
Returning again 10 Eastern Ohio and